MLB: Phillies acquire CF Revere from Twins for Worley, May

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It seemed the Twins had their centerfielder giveaway at the start of baseball’s Winter Meetings when they traded Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for flame-throwing pitching prospect Alex Meyer.

It turns out they were completely OK with trading Span’s successor for even more pitching.

As Ruben Amaro Jr. and the rest of the Phillies’ front office personnel headed from the Opryland Hotel to the airport Thursday, the team confirmed a deal that picked up steam in the early-morning hours and never slowed: speedy, young centerfielder Ben Revere had become a Phillie in exchange for right-handed pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May.

The deal quickly surpassed Michael Young rumors to the final stage. Thursday morning the Phillies and Rangers were said to be in agreement on a deal that would send the veteran infielder and more than half of the money to cover the $16 million he’s due in 2013 to Philadelphia in exchange for a minor prospect. However, that deal requires Young, 36, waiving his no-trade clause. Young’s performance dropped severely in 2012 (.277 BA, 8 HRs, 67 RBI) after he finished eighth in American League MVP voting in 2011 (.338, 11, 106), but the Phils – unimpressed with the free-agent market – would like to see if he can bounce back as their everyday third baseman.

As for the deal that did go down, Revere is the epitome of a slap-hitting speedster. In 989 big-league at-bats he has zero home runs and just 33 extra-base hits. However, both in 2011 and 2012 he was pressed into service with little Triple-A time, and last year batted .293 while finishing fourth in the American League with 40 stolen bases in 49 attempts. In many areas he is similar to what Michael Bourn was when the Phillies traded him to Houston in order to acquire Brad Lidge.

That trade was mutually beneficial. Amaro believes this deal can be, as well.

“Right now he’s shown he’s made a little more contact than Bourny,” Amaro said of the 24-year-old, who bats left and throws right-handed, as he waited for his Southwest flight to board in Nashville. “Certainly Bourny has been doing it for much, much longer. He’s a more consistent player and has more power in his bat. But defensively we don’t see a lot of dissimilarities and we think the kid still has some upside.”

The Phils need there to be more growth in Revere’s game. They gave up a pitcher in Worley who, despite struggling before getting shut down late last season due to a bone spur in his elbow, has shown the ability to be a middle-rotation cog for years.

Worley, 25, went 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA in 23 starts, but was 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA in April before the bone spur sent him onto the disabled list in early May. He came back and pitched through the irritation, but it gradually eroded his effectiveness and he was shut down in September to have the growth removed. In 2011 he finished third in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting after going 11-3, 3.01 ERA for the Phils after getting called up in late April.

May, 23, was Baseball America’s 69th-rated prospect entering 2012, but scuffled at Double-A Reading (10-13, 4.87 ERA) last season, although he still has the type of power arm the Twins have been trying to collect after watching their soft throwers get hammered in recent years.

“I thought we were dealing from a position of strength because of the way some of our guys have been developing in our system with Pettibone, Morgan, the acquisition of Ethan Martin (in the Shane Victorino trade with the Dodgers in July),” Amaro said. “Granted, we gave a lot for this player, but in this marketplace, to acquire a young player under control (of his rights), very reasonable compensation for a while, a guy who can do what he can do, we felt this was the right thing to do.

“Pettibone is that close. (Tyler) Cloyd has to be in the mix. So we have some choices. We’ll give some guys the ball and see how it goes.”

Amaro said there is a possibility another veteran starter could be signed. But don’t expect that to happen anytime soon. The market has gone haywire after moves like the one the Angels made Tuesday by signing former Phillie Joe Blanton to a two-year, $15 million deal. Blanton hasn’t been a productive starter in four years, so the Phils could wait to see if any veteran arms worth a gamble linger on the market and come at a more reasonable price tag.

Although Revere is among the best base-stealers in baseball, the Phillies likely will start him in the No. 8 hole and keep Jimmy Rollins at the top of the order. Asked by XM Radio about his preference in the order, Revere sounded like the team player reports out of Minnesota say he is.

“To me, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m out there playing, trying to help the team win,” he said. “I don’t care where they put me. It’s up to the big guys in the office and the coaches so wherever they put me, I’m playing.”

What remains on the agenda is another corner outfielder. Thanks to the trade the Phillies still have a decent amount of money at the ready and can pursue the likes of Josh Hamilton, Cody Ross or Ryan Ludwick. Also keep an eye on Domonic Brown, who could find himself dangled to teams with right-handed pop in the outfield who would be willing to take a gamble on a left-handed hitting prospect who has been slow to blossom.

“We still have plenty of flexibility monetarily right now,” Amaro said. “We will try to piece the rest of the puzzle together.”